Which colleges have the best return on investment?

Colleges with the best ROI are those that balance cost of attendance with high graduate earnings. Institutions like Honolulu Community College demonstrate high overall graduate success with an average across-major salary of $51,776 within 5 years.

How do you measure a college's ROI?

We measure ROI by comparing the total cost of attendance against the median verified earnings of graduates at 1, 5, and 10 years, using official US Census PSEO data.

College & Degree Rankings

We averaged the median salaries across all measured bachelor's degree programs at each institution to find the schools whose graduates earn the most overall.

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Rank	Institution	Avg Salary Across Majors (5-Yr)
#551	Honolulu Community College HI • Based on 15 majors	$51,776
#552	Minnesota State College Southeast MN • Based on 14 majors	$51,765
#553	Vernon College TX • Based on 17 majors	$51,762
#554	Virginia Western Community College VA • Based on 27 majors	$51,644
#555	Saint Charles Community College MO • Based on 7 majors	$51,605
#556	Marion Technical College OH • Based on 24 majors	$51,570
#557	Tidewater Community College VA • Based on 42 majors	$51,544
#558	Northern State University SD • Based on 24 majors	$51,535
#559	Mohawk Valley Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges NY • Based on 30 majors	$51,527
#560	Pickens Technical College CO • Based on 5 majors	$51,486
#561	Saint Philip's College TX • Based on 46 majors	$51,483
#562	Ferrum College VA • Based on 18 majors	$51,482
#563	Kirkwood Community College IA • Based on 62 majors	$51,458
#564	Jefferson College MO • Based on 19 majors	$51,448
#565	Hawkeye Community College IA • Based on 39 majors	$51,437
#566	Monroe Community College NY • Based on 45 majors	$51,368
#567	Fayetteville State University NC • Based on 23 majors	$51,320
#568	Navarro College TX • Based on 30 majors	$51,275
#569	Tulsa Community College OK • Based on 41 majors	$51,232
#570	Albany State University GA • Based on 38 majors	$51,217
#571	Winthrop University SC • Based on 27 majors	$51,151
#572	Greenville Technical College SC • Based on 70 majors	$51,093
#573	Louisiana State University at Eunice LA • Based on 11 majors	$51,092
#574	Chemeketa Community College OR • Based on 25 majors	$51,061
#575	Owens Community College OH • Based on 54 majors	$51,029
#576	South Plains College TX • Based on 44 majors	$50,988
#577	Emory & Henry College VA • Based on 19 majors	$50,959
#578	Terra State Community College OH • Based on 26 majors	$50,959
#579	North Carolina Central University NC • Based on 30 majors	$50,920
#580	University of Maine - Fort Kent ME • Based on 12 majors	$50,900
#581	Laurel Ridge Community College VA • Based on 17 majors	$50,896
#582	Indian Hills Community College IA • Based on 35 majors	$50,876
#583	Louisiana State University at Alexandria LA • Based on 11 majors	$50,824
#584	Black Hills State University SD • Based on 28 majors	$50,817
#585	Linn-Benton Community College OR • Based on 16 majors	$50,797
#586	Lorain County Community College OH • Based on 29 majors	$50,779
#587	Otero College CO • Based on 9 majors	$50,761
#588	Kishwaukee College IL • Based on 18 majors	$50,724
#589	Midlands Technical College SC • Based on 54 majors	$50,721
#590	Blue Ridge Community and Technical College WV • Based on 12 majors	$50,691
#591	Mountwest Community and Technical College WV • Based on 15 majors	$50,547
#592	Covenant College GA • Based on 12 majors	$50,546
#593	Redlands Community College OK • Based on 9 majors	$50,539
#594	Adirondack Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges NY • Based on 12 majors	$50,515
#595	Northeastern Junior College CO • Based on 13 majors	$50,505
#596	Lewis and Clark Community College IL • Based on 35 majors	$50,495
#597	Lander University SC • Based on 18 majors	$50,412
#598	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts MA • Based on 9 majors	$50,407
#599	University of Hawaii Maui College HI • Based on 16 majors	$50,321
#600	Clark State College OH • Based on 21 majors	$50,280